Sakura Brighteye

About You
Name: Draco here
Age: 16
How did you find us: I’ve been here for a while.
Rules Password: [Password Accepted ~Cara]

Character Basics
Name: Sakura Brighteye
Alias(es)/Nickname(s): none
Gender: female
Age: 118 (about the equivalent of 29)
Race: gryphon
Status/Title: free agent
Affiliation: Neutral, but will help other gryphons

Character Appearance
Hair: none
Eyes: a bright, shining green
Overall: Sakura is smaller in size than most gryphons her age, and her body is lean and muscular. Living in a desert environment, she has no fat to spare, but her lifestyle gives her plenty of musculature. Her wings are short and pointed, built for speed. They are also fairly broad, good for catching the wind in the dry desert air. She has light, sleek feathers and fur. Her feathers are not well-insulated, so she can get cold very easily. Her face is short, but with large eyes and fairly large, somewhat cat-like ears. Her beak is short and thin, giving her head a triangular appearance. Her limbs are short and muscular, very good for climbing and running. She is about 300 pounds in weight, a small size for a gryphon.

Sakura’s feathers are beautiful, even for a gryphon. She is mostly colored with gorgeous dark ginger feathers. The ginger color covers her head, neck, back and sides, the top feathers of each wing, and her back half and tail. Her fur is the same ginger color, and very sleek and glossy. She has a small crest on top of her head, running down her neck. The crest is made up of ginger feathers tipped in a fiery red-orange. The tops of each primary and secondary wing feather are the same vermillion color, giving her a very vibrant appearance from the top. On the bottom, each of the same feathers is a light, dusty gray/white with dusty brown striping. Her throat, chest, and belly are all snow-white, in stark contrast to the ginger colors above. Her long tail is tipped in a tuft of bright orange-red feathers. The scales on her forelegs are yellow, and each claw is narrow, well-curved, and black.

Sakura has large, radiant eyes. The vivid green hue of each eye is the reason behind her last name of “Brighteye.” Her beak is yellow and curves sharply down at the end into a wicked point. Her claws and talons are thorn-like and narrow, but also curved to a razor edge. She has fluffy ginger feathers on each cheek, giving her face more of an angular appearance.

Portrayal:

Character Personality
Likes:
~flying
~making friends
~hot temperatures
~wind
~warm-blooded prey
~her freedom
~her friends and family
~excitement and action
Dislikes:
~cold temperatures
~wet or damp places
~rain
~being trapped
~dull or boring people
~too much drama
~fish or aquatic animals as prey
Strengths:
~skilled flyer
~skilled in climbing and running
~excellent eye-sight, even for a gryphon
~optimistic
~clever
~friendly
~observant
Weaknesses:
~lower than average physical strength
~reckless
~slightly arrogant
~few friends in a new land
~neutral (has no allies if she gets in trouble in Narnia)
~small
~usually on her own
~tries to give off a tough exterior

General Personality: Sakura is extremely independent and always tries to be as unique as she can. She doesn’t like doing things others are doing just for the sake of being the same, and will almost always take a different path. This can lead to often dangerous situations, made all the worse by her reckless nature. Sakura loves to explore and investigate everything, so her curious ways lead her into trouble. She often goes into things without thinking them through, not realizing the danger she could be in. She loves to learn about new things and to travel, though she doesn’t like going far from home. She finds places other than her desert home unpleasant and not worth going to for the time being.

Sakura loves her freedom, and hates anyone telling her what to do. She follows orders poorly, almost always believing her way is the right way. She is stubborn about her opinions and ideas, and will not give up easily. The same goes for a fight; if she is in one, either a fight of words or physical blows, she will never give up voluntarily. She is a little on the arrogant side, almost always thinking herself in the right. She does take the ideas of others into consideration, however. She is not close-minded, even if she is very stubborn about her own opinion being the correct one.

Sakura is a very friendly gryphon, but does not have many friends. Her independence and loner attitude make it hard for others to get to know her better. She always tries to help others when they are in trouble, though, even if it puts herself at risk. She has a great deal of trouble trusting or helping humans, however. She knows what they have done to Narnia, and she also knows how much of a danger they pose to her family in their isolated home, if ever they were to be discovered. She does not think that humans are worth her time or patience, and can usually pass them by quite easily. She is a little softer towards human children, however, and if a child is in danger, she will help.

She adores flying more than anything else, and is quite skilled at it. Her powerful wings allow her the agility and speed of a falcon. She doesn’t hesitate to let others know of her skill, either, often challenging others to a race or aerial obstacle course. She enjoys setting up her own races and obstacle courses as well, and loves a challenge. Physical or mental, it doesn’t matter to her. She is a clever gryphon, and is good at solving puzzles and figuring out problems. She has a sharp wit, and enjoys a good humorous moment among friends.

Character History
Parents: Lakida Brightfeather (mother), Vivex Fire-eye (father)
Siblings: three younger brothers: Keldon, Marco, and Satani Brighteye

General History: Sakura was born to a large flock of gryphons that had defended their ancestral home in the great canyons of Archenland for centuries. Her family was never from Narnia, at least not within memory, despite the fact that most gryphons originally lived in the distant land to the north. The Firetalons were the ruling family of her flock, and had always kept a priority on isolation and protection. Security was the top of the list of things for the gryphons to keep track of.

The great gorge stemming from the south of the River Winding Arrow was the previous home of the flock, but more nomadic humans began to intrude upon their lands. The gryphons fled even further south, to the very edges of Archenland and the Great Desert. They made a new home amidst a series of winding canyons branching to the west of the gorge, in order to avoid any humans that made their way through. The humans, however, were still curious, and the gryphons received the occasional visitor. Because of the intrusions, the flock posted sentries to alert of human encroachment, and security became one of the highest priorities. Sakura, when she was old enough, gladly helped in sentry duty.

Sentries fulfilled an important duty in the flock; watching for enemies. It was a rare event when a human was spotted by a sentry. Humans had, in the past, raided the lands of the gryphons, until they were driven from their home by lack of prey. The humans that had intruded eventually left, but the flock was still wary of humankind in general. When humans were spotted by sentries, they were scared off, or even chased off. The gryphons relied on the fact that humans who spoke of large flying desert beasts would be dismissed, and they were never bothered. Sakura saw humans a few times during her sentry duty, and even scared one away by making a small avalanche of rocks.

Sakura was independent from the moment of her birth, always wanting to go and explore new things and avoiding the repetitive behavior of other young gryphons. She struck out on her own as much as she could, despite the watchful and ever-present eye of her parents. She was relieved when her parents had another chick, Keldon, only sixteen years after she was born, getting rid of the attention that was placed on her. Sakura left her parents nest-ledge as soon as she could, much sooner than other young gryphons. She learned to fight and hunt, and became a very elegant and swift warrior and huntress. Her attacks on both prey and enemies came swift and fleeting, leaving the one she attacked both confused and unprepared for the next strike. It took her a while to learn the skills she now possesses, but she is now quite skilled. She is a better hunter than fighter, and her cleverness and excellent eyesight allow her to find prey and devise a way to catch it much more easily than other gryphons. She is slightly above the average when it comes to actually catching her prey as well, and her peers often admired this skill.

Sakura was more scornful and arrogant as a youngster than she currently is. She was known for teasing others and for her scoffing ways. She was never polite, and rarely nice or understanding towards others, even her so-called friends. Her friends were the same way, and most of them were with her only because of similar temperaments and admiration for her skills. There was one male, Aksiid, who was especially infatuated with her. Sakura was, at first, an ally of Aksiid, and they were usually known more by reputation than by their actual personalities. They had the reputation of being condescending and mocking of others, and weaker gryphons avoided them at all costs.

As Sakura grew older, though, she grew wiser. She began to spend more and more time on her own, which led her to longer periods of isolation. During her isolation, there was little else to do but think, and she began to regret her actions. She realized that in her arrogance, she had hurt others. Sakura would forever be changed, at least inwardly. Unfortunately, she realized there was no way to repent entirely, and other young gryphons would always view her as who she had been.

After a particularly long period of isolation, Sakura finally made the decision to stop acting as she had been, and to try to make the others see that she had changed. She returned to her flock, and began her attempts. The other gryphons, however, were still distrustful and unwilling to forgive her, believing that she had not really changed. She took a different step and cut her ties to Aksiid and the rest of her previous friends, making herself an outcast to them.

Sakura then began to spend more and more time away from her flock, desiring her own company over that of others. She was now viewed as a loner and an outcast to everyone. Her parents did not have much time for her, either, as they were busy raising their second son; Marco. One day, however, Sakura returned to find her flock in trouble. The flock had often been attacked by other creatures, and Sakura had always done her part to defend it. When she went on the defense, she saw that one of the gryphons she had picked on as a youngster was about to be killed by one of the attackers. Sakura flew in and intercepted the swipe, rendering herself unconscious. When she awoke later, she had a harsh bruise and several broken ribs, but was alive. She was in the cliff side cave of the flock’s healer. When she recovered and left the cave, the gryphon she had saved was waiting for her. Apologies were made on both sides, and Sakura left feeling better about her own position. The others treated her with more kindness and trust since that day, but she still never felt fully accepted.

Sakura lived for a few more decades in much the same fashion. She kept to her own nest-ledge on the highest parts of the outer areas of the canyon, usually not interacting much with other gryphons. However, she spent a great deal of her time with her three young brothers, and the four of them became very good friends. Sakura and Marco were especially close. Because she was the only female among them, Sakura became an even more pronounced tomboy, not shirking from any challenge or threat. She enjoyed making small wagers with her brothers, and often won their bets. Her life was fun and enjoyable, but for one thing. Aksiid continued to pursue her, increasingly as a mate. Sakura had long outgrown his immature and boorish ways, denying him time and time again. His persistence in the matter became increasingly annoying, unfortunately. Aksiid was relentless, and Sakura began to wish she could simply leave. She knew, though, that she would not feel comfortable in leaving her flock. Though she didn’t spend much time with many of the other gryphons, they still felt like her family. In addition, Sakura knew she would have a hard time in other places, for the threats to an isolated, individual gryphon were many. As she grew even older, she wished more and more for circumstances to arise that would force her to leave, for she knew she would not voluntarily.

Other/Notes: Explanation on Gryphon last names: A gryphon’s last name is made up from one part of his or her father’s name, and one part from his or her mother’s name, based on what his or her parents deem appropriate. Therefore, Sakura’s last name of Brighteye is made up from her parents’ names of Brightfeather and Fire-eye. However, if a gryphon mates with the leader or important member of a flock, they may take on their mate’s name (as with Raquel taking the name Arrowing), and all children of that leader will usually have his or her name as well (as with Damien, Cirrick, Tayla, and Mira Arrowing).

Sample
RP Sample:
Please see Damien’s bio or any of his posts for a good sample, but I’m just going to test out this charry briefly.

A ginger shape, reminiscent of a hawk, was the only mark of a different color amidst the pale blue sky. Stretching beyond the shape, however, was a long tail, and the wings and tip of the tail were tinged in bright, fiery orange. No hawk possessed coloration like the color of the sky at sunset. No other flying, feathered creature possessed a long tail, and a body that looked as if it were made of two parts. Gryphons came in many colors, but vibrant rainbow hues were especially rare in any form. Those gryphons so lucky as to lay claim to such colors could only boast speckles, wingtips, tail-tips, or a few patches of such a color; and few possessed such a radiant shade.

Only one gryphon, however, would be flying alone in the desert sky when all of the others were currently celebrating the first kill of a youngster.

Sakura’s shining green eyes, for which she was named, stared off longingly into the horizon. She felt torn. She wanted to leave, to explore new lands and make new friends with whom she could be comfortable with. However, she could not yet leave her flock. There were too many things here that she needed to stay for. Her brothers, for one, were often in need of her leadership. Sakura’s eyes sparkled with laughter.

“Who would be crazy enough to assume that three young males would be able to look after themselves properly? My brothers wouldn’t be able to function well without me,” she said with a laugh out loud, her clear voice penetrating the silence of the sky.

The fire-hued gryphon continued to languish, however. Except for her family and a few gryphons much younger and older than herself, she wasn’t truly accepted by any of them. She had made herself an outcast, a loner, by her own actions. She had chosen to stay on the fringes of the flock, rather than involving herself with the complexities of her fellows’ lives. She still wished for more and deeper relationships, though. She wanted to find friends. Unfortunately, to find friends, she would feel like she was abandoning her family. Sakura shook her head, wondering where her predicament would finally take her. One way or another, it would eventually be resolved.

Okay, that was a bit more than brief. Oh well. Please tell me anything you can to correct and improve this charry. Also, if you have any questions, please ask them.